A 2009 Planner that Kicks the Starbucks Planner’s Ass

It’s the time of year when people flock to the nearest Starbucks to spend hundreds, maybe thousands of pesos on cups and cups coffee. All because they want to accumulate stickers for yet another Starbucks planner. The planner promo is a clever marketing strategy that boosts the coffee giants’ sales, but all it really does is encourage people to spend mindlessly on beverages and objects they don’t need.

Instead of wasting your money on expensive, designer coffee, why not get yourself a Journal that will Actually Change Your Life?

“This Journal will Actually Change your Life” is a 2009 Planner from Free Speech Publications, a new local publishing house that “aims to write & publish books that are visionary & life changing” and “to distribute books that provide fresh answers to the situations in contemporary society”. The 2009 Planner is hardbound in black with colored pages. And instead of subtle advertisements to make you buy more coffee, the pages contain interesting trivia, quotations, and other kinds of “useless” information.

Besides the usual monthly and weekly calendars, the Free Speech Publications 2009 journal also has lots of other useful features such as quarterly health check-ups and soul inventory, a weekly mood chart, a monthly expenses tracker, note pages, measurement conversion tables, an address book, even a little section on flags! Not to mention there’s also lots and lots of space for doodling and making other notes.

The Journal That Will Change Your Life is not only a useful planner to have around - buying one will actually help make a difference. All proceeds will go to the Lifeline Foundation Support Team, a non-profit, non-government organization dedicated to educating the poor and giving relief to the oppressed.

Grab a Journal That Will Change Your Life and make a difference for only Php 850 (less than what you would spend for a Starbucks planner!). Available at Fully Booked and Power Books.

UP Diliman Lantern Parade

After many many years, this is the first time I’ve watched the annual Lantern Parade. This tradition is held during the last day of classes for the year and also signals the Christmas break. Last year, my daughter who studies in UP Diliman was hospitalized and unable to watch her First UP Lantern Parade.

What is the UP Lantern Parade anyway?

THE LANTERN PARADE is a colorful UP tradition that has enlivened the holiday season in the University for 70 years now. The Lantern Parade was first held in 1922 but it was only 12 years later that the celebration was formally established by UP President Jorge Bocobo as what it is now: the display of colorful floats, lanterns, and costumed performances. It has since become a spectacular venue for creative expression among the different members of the UP community and a fitting way to end classes for Christmas.

Each constituent university (CU) holds its own lantern parade on the third week of December. The parades culminate in UP Diliman, where the winning lanterns from each CU are invited for inclusion in the grand festivity.

The event is participated in by students, faculty, staff, and alumni who come in droves attired in colorful costumes. Ushered in by floats that come in various shapes and sizes capturing the theme of the celebration, the Lantern Parade is truly a sight to behold for the thousands of eager spectators lining the campus sidewalks.

View more photos of the UP Lantern Parade

As you can see from the photos, the lanterns are symbolism of the political situation or academic concerns. I only saw one traditional Christmas lantern which was at the tail-end of the parade.

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Palma Hall-UP Diliman Campus

Palma Hall at the UP campus, Quezon City, otherwise known as AS (formerly Arts & Sciences) Finally, the frontage has some paint in it. Summer class registration started yesterday.